An articulated endless track for track-type vehicles comprises a plurality of crawler pads connected in series with each other, with each pair of adjacent pads being pivotally joined together by means of a hinge pin. If the hinge pin is retained in place by being press fitted into bushings in one of the pair of adjacent pads, it can be difficult to remove the pin in a confined area such as an underground mine. If the pin is not secured to either pad, then means must be provided to retain the pin in place. One commercial retention technique utilizes two coaxially aligned hinge pins in each hinge connection of two crawler pads in an articulated endless track, the ends of the pins at the center of the track being exposed, and a lock pin being secured in a hole cross-drilled in the exposed inner end of each hinge pin. However, these lock pins are located such that they are exposed to the high-wear operating environment. Another commercial retention technique employs a screw/lock nut arrangement on each side of the track. The screw is located in a flange which extends outwardly from the side of the crawler pad so that the nut is positioned adjacent the end of the hinge pin. However, because of their exposed locations on the side edges of the crawler tread, the retention nuts are subjected to the high wear environment.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means for retaining rotatable hinge pins in place in a crawler tread assembly, the retaining means having minimum exposure to wear. It is an object of the invention to have hinge pin retention means in a crawler tread assembly which can be readily removed, along with the hinge pins, even in confined areas. Another object of the invention is to minimize the abrasive wear on the hinge pin retention means in an articulated endless track assembly on mobile machinery.
Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.